Method of and apparatus for indicating vacuum-feed-system conditions



Mar. 20, 1923. 1,449,366

F. F. SORENSEN ET AL METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR INDICATING VACUUM FEEDSYSTEM CONDITIONS Filed May 15, 1921 Patented Mar. 20, 1923.

UNIT-ED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK F. SORENSEN AND PEARL C. DYER, F PHILADELPHIA. PENNSYLVANIA,ASSIGNOBS, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, T0 CHARLES J. FOX. OF PHILADELPHIA,

PENNSYLVANIA.

METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR INDICATING VACUUM-FEED-SYSTEM CONDITIONS.

Application filed May 13, 1921.

To all an hom it may concern Be it known that we, FRANK F. Sonnn- SENand PEARL (7. Dyan, citizens of the United States, residing at the cityof lhi]adelphia, county of Philadelphia, and State of Pennsylvania, havejointly invented a certain new and useful Method of and Apparatus forIndicating Vacuum-FeedSystem Gonditions, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention, generally stated, relates to vacuum feed systems formotor-vehicles, motor-boats, and aero-craft and has more especialrelation to a method of indicating the gas feed conditions in suchsystems.

' As is well known the feeding of gas to a carburetor by means of avacuum instead of by means of pressure or gravity is now commonlypractised. Contrary to general belief however a feed system of thischaracter needs constant supervision. While various causes as wear,vibration, careless and unskilled attention serve to materially affectthe operation of a vacuum feed system,

leaks, stoppages and flooding may be probably cited as causing most ofthe trouble experienced. Leaks occurring in any part of the system, asin the gas line, may cause loss of gas, difiiculty in starting of theengine,

irregularity in running and frequently fail ure of the system tofunction. stoppages may occur in any part of the gas line and as theyseldom develop suddenly the operator is usually advisedof the fact whenhis motor ceases to operate. Flooding of the vacuum chamber of thesystem, if allowed to continue. may cause what is termed burning out ofthe engine. This occurs because gas, drawn into the manifold through thesuction line, washes oil from pistons and rings, finds its way to thecrank case, and mixing with the oil in the crank case, destroys thelubricatimg value of the oil. Even when these leaks, stoppages andflood- 4 ings occur it is often very tlifficult to locate the troubleand repair men frequently spend a many hours endeavoring to locate theexact trouble.

'It is the leading object of the present invention to provide meanswhereby the above described defects when occurring in a vacuum feedsystem may be instantly detected Serial 1%. 469,171.

by the operator of a motor-vehicle, motor- ;boat or areo-craft byincorporating in such system a. detector or indicator which isresponsive to the slightest variation of gas feed conditions. Other andfurther objects relate to the provision of general arrangement.connection and combination of parts in a vacuum feed system forattaining the results sought by the said leading object.

The invention consists of the improvements hereinafter described andfinally claimed.

The nature, characteristic features and scope of the invention will bemore fully understood from the following description taken in connectionwith the accompanying drawings forming part hereof, and in which:

Fig. 1. is a more or less diagrammatic view of the conventional vacuumfeed system having incorporated therein indicating means embodyingfeaturesof the invention.

Fig. 2, is a view in central section of the indicating means shown inFig. 1, about'to be assembled.

Fig. 3, is a similar view showing said parts assembled.

Fig. 4, is a face view of Fig. 3,

Fig. 5. is a similar view with the glass front removed. and

Figs. 6 and 7 are front and sectionalside views respectively of asomewhat modified form of indicator shutter.

For the purpose of illustrating our invention. we have shown in theaccompanying drawings one form thereof which is at present preferredbyus, siucethe same has been found in practice to give satisfactory andreliabic results. although it to be understood that the variousinstrumcntalities of which our invention consists can be variouslyarranged and organized. and that our invention is not limited to theprecise arrangementand organization of the instrumentalities as hereinshown and described.

In the drawings, 10 designates an internal combustion engine, 11 acarburetor connected to the cngine manifold. 12 a vacuum chamberconnected upon one side of its float by means of a suction line 13 withengine 10 and connected upon the other side of its float, by means of afeed line 14- with the carburetor 11. Upon the same side of the float asthe suction line 13, said chamber 12 is connected by line 15 with a gastank 16. The above described parts are of conventional form and asarranged comprise a well known vacuum feed system. Our method ofindicating gas feed conditions in such a system consists in introducingto the system visual indicating means operable by suction as the engine10 operates, which means is connected to vacuum cha nbcr 12 upon thatside of its float to which is connected suction line 13 and gas line 15.In a motor-vehicle said means is supported by the dash-board in plainView of the operator. In the drawings 17 indicates a dashboard, 18 acasing for enclosing the indicating means and 19 a pipe connecting saidcasing interior with the vacuum chamber 12. The face of casing 18 isopen and has fitted thereto a glass front 20 which for instance may beopaque provided with a transparent portion or window 21. To the rear ofsuch front is positioned a segmental shutter 22, pivoted as at 23 to afixed disc-like member 24. The shutter is divided. by a color line sothat in one position before window 21 it may show for instance white andin its other position may show for instance red. Slidable endwisethrough member 2 1 is a stud 25 which carries a pin 26 curved at one endas shown at 27 in Fig. 3, and which penetrates an opening 28 in shutter22 the opening and pin forming a loose fit. Thus as the stud movesendwise shutter 22 is shifted to left or right around its pivot point,the pin 26 functioning as a cam. The stud 25 adjacent its point ofpenetration of member 24 is provided with a head 29 and between the rearface of said member and said head is a coiled spring 30. Havingscrew-threaded relation with casing 18 is a cap 31 carrying a diaphragm32. In the drawings a hollow spherical diaphragm of flexible material asrubber is shown. Gommunicating with the diaphragm interior is a hollownipple 33 which is fixed to cap 31 and to which nipple the diaphragm issecured. When the cap 31 is screwed to place as shown in Fig. 3, thediaphragm 32 abuts against and is slightly depressed by head 29.

The operation of the above described connection of parts may bedescribed as follower-3th engine 10 stopped the shutter 22 shows whitebefore window 21. This is because no vacuum is in the system anddiaphragm 32 causes stud 25 to attain its outermost position thusholding shutter 22 fixed. With the engine working gas is drawn from tank16 into vacuum chamber 12 by means of suction through line 13.Simultaneously such suction draws diaphr m 32 in a direction away fromhead 29 \v ereupon stud 25 by reason of spring 3U moves backward thuscausing shutter 22 to move to the left in Fig. 5 and show red. When thespill or suck is completed the diaphragm is free to move to the left inFig. 3, thus again causing shutter 22 to be moved to show white by meansof the curved end of pin 26 operating cam-fashion upon said shutter. Aslong as the system is in proper working order this alternate showing ofwhite and red before window 21 occurs. With the engine operating and theshutter continuously showing white before window 21 however is anindication that an air leak has occurred in the system and thatconsequently no vacuum exists. Should the shutter continuously show redone of two conditions may be present (a) Flooding will have destroyedthe e'tii' ciency of rubber diaphragm, or fuse, or

(Z1) stoppage of gas by dirt or other 0bstruction may be present in thesystem.

Instead of the type of shutter shown in Figs. 2 to 5 we may employ thetype of shutter shown in Figs. 6 and 7. Instead of the shutter movingfrom right to left it is pivoted to move upwardly and downwardly aroundits pivot point The side walls of the shutter are slotted as at 34 inwhich slots work a pin 35 carried by stud 25. Otherwise the sameconstruction of parts are employed.

Among the advantages claimed for the above described method of observinggas conditions in a vacuum feed system mention may be made of thefollowing 2'- No alteration of standard vacuum feed systems is requiredin incorporating therein our improved method of indicating trouble anddefects; the operator has in plain sight at all times a positiveindication of both perfect and faulty performance of the system; theadded device is simple and cheap to manufacture and may be readilyinstalled in a few moments time; and if an owner of an automobile. forinstance, has not equipped his car with the above described device andconsults a repair man about faulty performance of his vacuum feedsystem, the repair man may test out such faulty system by means of oneof the indicators above described. This last mentioned advantage isimportant since the device thus becomes an adjunct of repair shops fortesting purposes as well as efficient for use in vacuum feed systems perse.

It will now be apparent that we have devised a novel and usefulconstruction which embodies the features of advantage enumerated asdesirable in the statement of the invention and the above descriptionand while we have in the present instance shown and described thepreferred embodiment thereof which has been found in practice to givesatisfactory and reliable results, it is to be understood that the sameis susceptible of modification in various particulars withiaa outdeparting from the spirit or scope of the invention or sacrificing anyof its advantages.

What we claim is:

1. In apparatus of the character stated a vacuum feed system including avacuum chamber and feed lines. a casing provided with a Window, ashutter movable befo e said window, a diaphragm responsive to changes insaid vacuum chamber, 31 0:1115 connected between said dia1i hragm andshutter for operating the latter said diaphragm normally holding saidshutter in stationary position, and a pipe connected to said chamberupon the same side of its float as said suction line, said pipe leadingto said casing to the rear oi and communicating with said diaphragm.

2. An indicating device for vacuum feed systems comprising a casinghaving a window at one end, a shutter movable before said window, ahollow spherical diaphragm normally containing air, located within saidcasing, means for eXhausting air from said diaphragm, an endwiseshiftable member in abutting position with said diaphragm connectingwith said shutter for moving the same in one direction upon exhaustionof air from said diaphragm and for moving said shutter in anotherdirection as said diaphragm returns to normal position.

In combination a vacumn chamber, a casing having a window at one end, ashutter movable before said window. a hollow spherical diaphragm withinsaid casing, a

pipe conunnniiating with said diaphragm connected to said clnmiljicr.means abutting against said diaphragm connected with said shutter formoving the same in one direction upon exhaustion of air through saidvacuum chamber and for moving the shutter in another direction as saiddiaphragm refills with air.

4. in combination a vacuum chamber. a

casin in communication with said chamber by means of a suction line, adiaphragm within the casing, a signal operably connected with saiddiaphragm said signal and diaphragm being operable to move in onedirection upon exhaustion oi air from beyond said diaphragm. and beingarranged to move in an opposite direction when said exhaustion of airhas been completed.

5. In combination a vacuum chamber, a casing having a window. a suctionline connecting said chamber and casing a signal movable before saidwindow, a diaphragm within the casing. means connected to said signalwhirh means is so arranged with respect to the diaphragm that uponexhaustion of air from beyond said diaphragm said diaphragm and signalmove in one direction, said diaphragm and signal being arranged to movein another direction when said exhaustion 0'! air has been completed.

In testimony whereof, we have hereunto signed our names.

FRANK F. SORENSEN. PEARL G. DYER.

